OSN to launch video streaming service in Middle East

Dubai-based OSN, one of the biggest pay TV operators in the region, will launch a video-on-demand service in the Middle East next week, looking to gain an advantage in a market where online piracy is rife and Netflix and other major players are not yet present, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The broadcaster, which currently has the widest variety of the latest entertainment, movies and sports on TV in the Middle East, will begin offering a separate service to its current TV subscription, which will include a library of online content for a monthly fee.

The service called “Go by OSN” will offer tens of thousands of hours of movies and shows, some of which will be available after the content has been broadcast on television. OSN already offers an online catch up version of its latest broadcast content called OSN Play, which is free for TV subscribers.

Unlike Play, Go won’t offer the latest content being broadcast, but will offer unlimited TV series and film franchises all on demand. It will be available on smartphones, tablets and PCs and offer Arabic and English-language content.

Online streaming of video content has become a major part of the media industry in the Western world. It is the largest consumer of internet capacity in the US, with Netflix and Google’s YouTube making up nearly 50 per cent of peak traffic, according to network gear marker Sandvine Corp. In the Middle East, however, steaming of film and TV series is in its infancy as no international player has cracked the market.

The potential is huge though. The high penetration of smartphones in the region, particularly the Gulf, has led to increasing video usage, predominantly on YouTube. The Middle East and North Africa is the second biggest market for YouTube in terms of viewership, according to Google, as 14.5 million hours of videos are watched per day in the region.

Dubai-based OSN, one of the biggest pay TV operators in the region, will launch a video-on-demand service in the Middle East next week, looking to gain an advantage in a market where online piracy is rife and Netflix and other major players are not yet present, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The broadcaster, which currently has the widest variety of the latest entertainment, movies and sports on TV in the Middle East, will begin offering a separate service to its current TV subscription, which will include a library of online content for a monthly fee.

The service called “Go by OSN” will offer tens of thousands of hours of movies and shows, some of which will be available after the content has been broadcast on television. OSN already offers an online catch up version of its latest broadcast content called OSN Play, which is free for TV subscribers.

Unlike Play, Go won’t offer the latest content being broadcast, but will offer unlimited TV series and film franchises all on demand. It will be available on smartphones, tablets and PCs and offer Arabic and English-language content.

Online streaming of video content has become a major part of the media industry in the Western world. It is the largest consumer of internet capacity in the US, with Netflix and Google’s YouTube making up nearly 50 per cent of peak traffic, according to network gear marker Sandvine Corp. In the Middle East, however, steaming of film and TV series is in its infancy as no international player has cracked the market.

The potential is huge though. The high penetration of smartphones in the region, particularly the Gulf, has led to increasing video usage, predominantly on YouTube. The Middle East and North Africa is the second biggest market for YouTube in terms of viewership, according to Google, as 14.5 million hours of videos are watched per day in the region.